For homeowners
AC repair guides
What to check, what a tune-up should include, and when to call an owner-operated shop. Written for independent AC repair, not a sales script.
Maintenance
A Year-Round Plan for Independent AC Repair, Not a Panic Call
Four dates, a filter you can reach, and the calls that are fine to skip. What to do before you need independent AC repair.
Maintenance
How Often to Service an Air Conditioner
Once a year is the floor where cooling runs for months. What the interval changes, and what a second visit is actually for.
Maintenance
What an AC Tune-Up Actually Includes
The readings a real visit should include, and how to tell that visit from a twenty-minute sales call.
Before you call
Filter, Coil, and Condensate Drain: Three Checks Before You Call
Most no-cool calls in summer are a spent filter, a packed outdoor coil, or a drain that will not empty.
Before you call
Which Air Filter to Buy for the System You Have
Buy the size printed on the filter in the system. MERV 8 is the everyday choice. A higher rating can choke an older blower.
No cool
When the Air Conditioner Runs and the House Still Will Not Cool
The fan is on. The house is not catching up. What to check, and when independent AC repair is the next call.
No cool
Why the Air Conditioner Ices Over
Ice on the copper lines or a block of ice on the coil. What causes it, and what not to do with a screwdriver.
No cool
What to Check When the Air Conditioner Will Not Turn On
Thermostat, breaker, float switch, and the outdoor disconnect. The four things to look at before an independent AC repair call.
The house
How to Set a Thermostat So the House Cools Evenly
A setpoint the system can hold, fan on auto, and why closing vents in empty rooms makes the problem worse.
The house
How to Leave the Air Conditioner When You Travel
What to set, what to turn off, and how to keep a drain problem from becoming a ceiling stain while you are gone.
Hiring
What to Have Ready When the AC Tech Arrives
The model number, the age, what changed, and the questions that keep a repair from turning into a replacement pitch.
The house
How to Keep the Air Conditioner Alive Through a Heat Wave
What to do when every shop is booked and the system you have still has to finish the week.
Equipment
Heat Pump Cooling After the Ten-Year Mark
What to check on a heat pump that is now a decade old: the outdoor coil, the backup heat, and a slow refrigerant leak.